[Dixielandjazz] Oscar Peterson - R.I.P.

[Stan Brager]

>From the NY Times:

Oscar Peterson, Jazz Pianist, Is Dead
By REUTERS
TORONTO (Reuters) - Oscar Peterson, who sat atop the world of jazz piano for 
decades with his driving two-handed swing, technical wizardry and rapid-fire 
solos, died Sunday of kidney failure, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp 
reported. He was 82.

One of jazz's most recorded musicians, both as leader and accompanist, 
Peterson came from working class beginnings in Montreal -- where his father 
let him pursue music only if he promised to be "the best" -- to become a 
major influence on generations of top-flight musicians.

Since blasting onto the world stage with a famous appearance at New York's 
Carnegie Hall in 1949, the beefy high school dropout amassed armfuls of 
honorary degrees and awards, including a 1997 Grammy for Lifetime 
Achievement and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award.

Canada made him a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country's highest 
civilian honor, as well as the first living Canadian to be depicted on a 
stamp. (Reporting by Jeffrey Jones)



Stan
Stan Brager